Chapter 1 Patient: “[W]hat I thought was 'everything' was only the beginning. When I thought I'd reached the ground floor of my psyche, you helped me see that there were basements, caves, and dark recesses below the ground floor that I never knew existed. Our psychotherapy took me to places I didn't want to go.” Chapter 4 Neutrality, Anonymity, and Abstinence Neutrality should mean that the therapist tries to remain nonjudgmental about the patient’s wishes, longings, and even barriers to some degree, in the service of understanding them. Patients are much more likely to open up to a therapist if they feel understood rather than judged. However, at times we will have strong reactions to what the patient shares, and at times we should be open about this: Therapists who don’t react to reports of egregious crimes or instances of cruelty may be seen as tacitly endorsing the patient’s behavior and colluding with the patient’s rationalize that it is somehow acceptable. Anonymi...
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